Getting married at BMW Welt

As crazy as it sounds, it is actually possible. The all new BMW Welt, or BMW World for the rest of us, has opened its …

As crazy as it sounds, it is actually possible. The all new BMW Welt, or BMW World for the rest of us, has opened its door less than a year ago and to my knowledge, this is the first weeding that took place inside the Welt. Our dear friend Irv Robinson told me the story of these two young people that decided to get married during their BMW European Delivery trip and just a few days later, Mike, the groom, sent me their story along with some photos.

I hope you will enjoy it and this really shows how much BMW "bends over" for their customers. Kudos BMW and also the Welt staff!

Teri and I scheduled our European Delivery and destination wedding to occur on as bookends to the same weekend. We started planning back in October/November of 2007 for an April 25, 2008 wedding day. Thus, our delivery date had to be April 28. Because we were planning an entire wedding around this delivery, we had to be sure things would go smoothly. Irv's reputation of being a stand-up and honest salesman, and his years of experience, made it an easy decision to buy through him. Irv was great through the process, keeping in contact through the months, and making me feel like I was his only customer, even though I know he's a busy man. Along the way, Irv suggested we wear the wedding attire to the Welt, and we both actually liked the idea a lot.

We spent a week in Munich (with a day trip to Füssen) preceeding our delivery and wedding. The wedding was a beautiful Catholic ceremony in a church consecrated in 1485, and conducted by Fr. Bill Buckley, of the English Speaking Mission in Munich. We had a small, intimate mass and dinner with our closest family, including some that live in Ulm, a short distance from Munich.

Delivery Day!! We showed up in our wedding outfits, and we were treated like kings, but even more than the normal reports! Extra photographs of us, a small dessert as a gift, everyone congratulating us and even special accommodations for Teri to change out of her gown before the factory tour! We got in at 10:30AM to everyone rushing to our assistance (we did have 4 suitcases and two day-bags!), and we went right to check-in and the lounge for about an hour, before Bernard met us. We spent so much time talking (about the car and the wedding) that before we knew it, it was time to see my car! I would have loved to take more time except I didn't want to miss the 1:30 factory tour and it was already 12:40! So we got our big chance to walk down the stairs, and right at the bottom, center and across from the restaurant, was my new 335xi, black and gleaming under the spotlight! We took pictures, and were presented with our gift, plus a release form for the photos – maybe we'll be in an advertisement!! We were running late for the tour, so we were given valet parking instead of self-parking so we could make it. After the tour, we were able to relax in the lounge for a little bit longer before hitting the road.

The car drives like a dream (except that the run-flat tires exacerbate all imperfections in the road), and has such great handling, power, comfort, and convenience. Despite what critics say, IDrive, combined with the bluetooth and USB options, is a fantastic system that takes barely any time to become accustomed to. The voice command system really does help in this situation, too!

First stop was Innsbruck, Austria, for two nights. And with less than 200 kilometers on the car, I got a speeding ticket just entering Austria!! Luckily, I was given a warning and the minimum fine. After enjoying this quaint town, we were quickly off to an afternoon in St. Moritz, Switzerland. We had lunch at a ski lodge with an altitude of 8,830 feet, before a fun alpine pass through to Italy, where we ended at Lake Como for two nights. Lake Como is absolutely beautiful, although the roads can be a little tretcherous given how narrow they are. From Lake Como, we spent a day in Milan, where we had tickets to see da Vinci's Last Supper, plus il Duomo and some other sights. Once leaving Milan, we headed to France. Driving through the French Riviera was great, and although we didn't stop in Monaco with the car, we made sure to visit the casino that Saturday night, where I was glad to do some gambling, and gawking at the impressive array of supercars.

After Nice and Avignon, we headed north through the Burgundy region for a few days, stopping for a few wine tastings in Beaune, before ending up in Paris. Talk about a crazy driving experience, this city makes New York City seem tame by comparison. We dropped the car off with 1305 new miles, and used the public transportation in Paris for a few days, including a trip to Versailles, before heading back to Philadelphia after 21 wonderful and unforgettable nights in Europe. Now, we wait for redelivery, which will be taking at the Performance Driving Center in Greenville, South Carolina, which we can't wait for either!